Why are we launching this newsletter? It’s because we believe it's necessary — especially here, especially now, especially in conversations about race and policing that too many people have written off as unsolvable. Finding solutions is the work. This newsletter is part of that work.
This isn’t just about hope; it’s our commitment to keep searching for understanding, and to build something better together. This newsletter was designed to be more than just something to skim over your coffee — think of it as an open invite to jump in, ask questions, and push the conversation forward. And if you find value here, spread the word — share this with a friend or nudge them to subscribe.
WATERTOWN, CT, TAKES ACTION TO REDUCE RACIAL DISPARITIES WITH NEW JUSTICE NAVIGATOR ASSESSMENT
The Center for Policing Equity has published a new Justice Navigator Assessment (JNA) for Connecticut’s Watertown Police Department (WPD). See the data driving equitable public safety — explore the JNA to examine use-of-force, vehicle stops, and officer activity.
The Justice Navigator is an innovative tool that helps police departments and communities make data-driven changes to reduce racial disparities in policing.
RECENT UPDATES
CONNECTICUT PASSES LAW REGULATING AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READERS
Supported by CPE and ACLU-CT, Connecticut’s new law SB 397/HB 5449 will regulate Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs), which are used to identify vehicles, by setting restrictions on how law enforcement and other public agencies, as well as contracted vendors, use ALPR systems or associated data in order to limit surveillance and protect communities. It specifically prohibits several uses of ALPR systems or data, such as for investigating suspected immigration violations or people seeking reproductive or gender-affirming health care services.
ALPRs reduce traffic stops, but automated enforcement still disproportionately impacts marginalized communities. Dive into our latest report to see how.
Our CEO and Co-founder Phil sat down with NBC Washington’s Dominique Moody to talk about the Supreme Court’s gutting of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act in Louisiana v. Callais.
On April 28, California’s Santa Monica City Council voted to accept a federal grant for police de-escalation and crisis response training from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Should a federal court injunction that currently prohibits the DOJ from requiring grant recipients to share immigration status information with the Department of Homeland Security be overturned, the council would terminate the grant.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Reimagining Public Safety: Faith-Led Approaches
to Community Wellness
Date: June 24, 2026
Start Time: 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Virtual via Zoom
Faith communities play a critical role in advancing community-led approaches to public safety redesign. Join CPE and Salvation and Social Justice (SandSJ), a Black-led, New Jersey-based organization, for a powerful conversation exploring how community safety is built — not simply through the absence of violence, but through the presence of stability, opportunity, and dignity. From housing and health to youth engagement and crisis response, this webinar will highlight how addressing root conditions is essential to preventing harm and strengthening communities.
Attendees will leave with practical insights, inspiration, and actionable steps to help faith communities step fully into their role as leaders in advancing community safety and transformative policy.
Every issue, I'm going to use this space a little differently. Sometimes it'll be something I've written — an argument I want you to engage with. Sometimes it'll be something someone else wrote that I can't stop thinking about. And sometimes it'll just be three things I need you to put on your radar. No formal argument. No tidy conclusion. Just what's occupying my mind and why I think it should occupy yours. For this first issue, here's where I'm starting:
The SPLC stands for justice — so do we. CPE has signed on to a letter with dozens of other organizations condemning the criminal indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center. If you haven’t seen it yet, the case against SPLC is a blatant move by the Trump administration to try to silence and discredit a group that’s spent decades fighting for civil rights and holding extremists accountable. The letter calls out the administration’s pattern of targeting nonprofits, watchdogs, and anyone who pushes back on abuses of power — and urges Congress to step up oversight, demand transparency, and push back hard. For 55 years, SPLC has been on the front lines against hate. We’re proud to stand with them, and we’re not backing down now. → Read the letter
What do we do when federal scare tactics come to town? That's the question CPE and the Justice Collaboratory at Yale Law School set out to answer — and it's no longer theoretical. We've been in conversation with partners on the front lines, and what we've identified are three categories of action for local and state officials facing unwarranted federal and military intrusions into local public safety. → Read here
What everyone needs to understand about habeas corpus — right now. Fwd.us put together a sharp, accessible explainer on habeas corpus that I keep sending to people. Here's what you need to know: in the year since President Trump returned to office, there have been more immigration-related habeas corpus petitions than in the prior 16 years combined. That's not a quirk — it's a signal. The piece also draws the through-line to the criminal legal system, where habeas has long been hollowed out, and makes the case that what's happening to immigrants today is part of a larger erosion of the right to challenge unlawful detention. → Read it here
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